JP3316433B2 - Facsimile machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, a facsimile apparatus has a problem in that a reading device called a scanner is irremovably fixed to a main body and thus lacks convenience. For example, many commercially available facsimile apparatuses cannot read book-type originals because the scanner is fixed to the main body.

In recent years, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-8750
No. 3 publication (H04N1 / 00), Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-11030
As described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H04N1 / 00 and partially commercialized, the scanner is detachable from the main body, and when attached to the main body, the original conveyed by the paper feeding mechanism is used as before. While the document is sequentially read, while it is detached from the main body, a book-type document can be read by manually scanning over the document as in a so-called handy scanner.

[0004]

The optical image reader currently used in this type of scanner is a CCD.
When the CCD is adopted, there is no need to bring the original into close contact with the original reading window, and there is no member that comes into contact with the reading window when the scanner is attached or detached.

However, CIS is used as an optical image reading device.
When a (Contact Image Sensor) is used, it is necessary to bring a document into close contact with the reading window, and a platen that comes into contact with the reading window is provided in the main body. Since the platen is normally connected to the drive motor so as to also act as a document conveying means, it cannot rotate freely when the scanner is attached or detached. For this reason, when the scanner is attached or detached, the reading window is rubbed against the reading window, and the reading window may be stained or damaged, which may lead to a decrease in reading characteristics.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has a basic configuration in which a scanner having a reading window, a main body having an opening through which the scanner is attached and detached, A platen that is disposed inside the scanner and abuts against the reading window when the scanner is mounted on the main body and that can freely rotate in the attaching and detaching direction of the scanner when attaching and detaching the scanner to and from the opening; Means for applying a rotational force, means for detecting attachment of the scanner to the main body, and, when the attachment is detected by the detection means, controls the motor to attach the platen to the main body of the scanner. And means for controlling rotation.

[0007]

1 and 2 are perspective views showing the appearance of a facsimile apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

In the apparatus of this embodiment, a plurality of operation keys such as a numeric keypad and an operation panel 2 on which a display 1 made of, for example, a liquid crystal, are rotatably supported at the front end side, and
A main body 5 having a document insertion opening 3 and a recording paper discharge tray 4 formed at the rear end; a handset 7 mounted on the left end of the upper surface of the main body 5 and connected to the main body 5 by a curl cord 6;
It comprises a handy scanner 9 that can be attached to and detached from the opening 8 of the main body 5. 1 shows a state in which the scanner 9 is detached from the main body 5, and FIG.
Shows a state where the camera is mounted on the camera.

FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are a perspective view and a top view of a main part for explaining the opening 8, and FIG.
6A to 6E are views showing the upper surface, the front surface, the lower surface, the left side surface, and the right side surface of the scanner 9, and FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate how the scanner 9 is attached to and detached from the opening 8. FIG. It is a principal part side sectional view of.

As is clear from FIG. 6, the scanner 9 has a main body casing 10 having a substantially L-shaped cross section having a horizontal step portion, and is disposed on the horizontal step portion to form a CIS (contact image sensor). ) Or a reading unit housing 11 containing an optical reading element such as a CCD. This reading unit housing 11
As is clear from FIG. 6, the biasing means 12 such as a spring coil constantly applies a biasing force upward of the horizontal step portion. 6B, when attached to the opening 8 as shown in FIG. 6B, it extends in the longitudinal direction (hereinafter referred to as the main scanning direction) within the opening 8 and is rotatably provided at both ends of the opening. The upper surface of the reading unit housing 11 can be brought into contact with a platen 13 made of an elastic material such as rubber and supported above the side wall of the opening 8.

As is apparent from FIG. 4, guide projections 14 and 1 are provided below both sides of the opening 8 near the opening.
5 is implanted, and a first connector 16 for making an electrical connection with the scanner 9 is arranged on the deepest wall.

On the other hand, as is apparent from FIG. 5, the scanner 9 has a translucent reading window 17 on the upper surface of the reading section housing 11.
Having. The reading window 17 extends in the main scanning direction, abuts on the platen 13 when the scanner 9 is attached to the opening 8, and transmits data written on a document passing between the platen 13 to the optical system. Is read by the objective reading element. The scanning rollers 18 and 1 are provided on the upper surface of the reading unit housing 11.
8 are arranged. The rollers 18 are used when the scanner 9 is detached from the main body and used as a single handy scanner in order to read a book document or the like.
Rotates in accordance with the movement in the sub-scanning direction, and detects the sub-scanning speed in conjunction with a rotary encoder or the like built in the scanner 9 (not shown). The scanner 9 stores data read by the optical reading element and a controller that controls these circuits in addition to the optical reading element and the encoder so as to be usable as a single handy scanner. And a battery power supply for supplying a drive voltage to each of the above components. Therefore, even when the scanner 9 is detached from the main body 5, the scanner 9 is independently moved in the sub-scanning direction while pressing the reading window 17 against the original, so that the scanner 9 moves at a timing corresponding to the moving speed in the sub-scanning direction. A controller controls the optical reading element to optically read data on the document and store the data in a memory. It should be noted that the data stored in the memory may be data which is read by the optical reading element and is only binarized, but it is possible to store further encoded data from the viewpoint of memory capacity. Preferably, in this embodiment, the latter coded data is stored in a memory.

Of the components arranged in the scanner 9, detachable components such as the battery are arranged in a main body housing 10. Accordingly, the weight of the reading unit housing 11 is always constant, so that the contact pressure between the reading window 17 and the platen 13 by the urging force of the urging means 12 can be always constant. Further, since the urging means 12 is provided on the scanner 9 side, the urging means 12 can be repaired only by disassembling the scanner 9, and does not need to be disassembled to the main body 5.

FIG. 5B shows the front side of the scanner 9.
, A second connector 19 is provided. When the scanner 9 is mounted on the opening 8, the connector 19 is provided on the first connector 1 disposed on the deepest wall of the opening 8.
6 is connected. By this connector connection, the power supply to each part in the scanner 9 is switched from the battery power supply to the power supply built in the main body 5 and the scanner 9 is controlled under the control of the main control means built in the main body 5. Access to the memory, drive control of the optical reading element, and the like can be controlled.

As shown in FIG. 5C, the lower surface of the scanner 9 has first to third slide switches 20 to 22, a push button 23, a power indicator lamp 24, a remaining memory indicator lamp 25, and a speed warning lamp. 26 are arranged.
The first slide switch 20 is a switch for turning on / off the supply of a driving voltage from a battery power supply incorporated in the scanner 9 to each unit, and a second slide switch 21
Is a switch for setting a reading image quality mode when the scanner 9 is used as a single handy scanner. A third slide switch 22 is used to switch between an erasing mode for erasing data in the memory and reading of data by the scanner 9. This is a switch for switching the reading mode to be performed. When the reading mode is selected by the third slide switch 22, the push button 23
The push button 23 is used as a button for instructing start and stop of reading. On the other hand, when the erasing mode is selected, it is used as a button for instructing erasing of data in the memory. The power indicator lamp 24 is turned on when the first slide switch 20 is slid to the on position and the driving voltage is supplied from the battery power to each unit, and the first slide switch 20 is slid to the off position or When the output voltage of the battery power supply is equal to or less than a predetermined value and it is impossible to supply the drive voltage to each unit, the light is not turned on. Above memory remaining amount display lamp 25
Comprises two LEDs, for example, a red LED and a green LED. When the remaining amount of the memory is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the LED lights up in green, and the emission color changes from orange to red as the remaining amount decreases. The speed warning lamp 26 also includes a two-color LED similarly to the memory remaining amount display lamp 25, and lights in green when the sub-scanning speed detected by the rollers 18, 18 and the encoder is appropriate. When the reading timing of the optical reading element becomes longer than a predetermined value, the emission color changes from orange to red.
Accordingly, the appropriate reading operation of the scanner 9 when used alone as a handy scanner can be visually judged by the lamps 24 to 26.

As shown in FIGS. 5B to 5E, step portions 27 and 28 are formed on both sides of the main body 10 of the scanner 9, respectively. The steps 27 and 28 both extend from the front to the rear of the scanner 9, and the upper edge thereof is formed in a tapered shape that decreases toward the rear. When the scanner 9 is mounted on the opening 8, the upper edges of the steps 27, 28 abut the upper ends of the guide projections 14, 15 implanted in the opening 8 of the main body 5, respectively. It will be pushed in the direction of the deepest wall. The taper serves to facilitate alignment of the guide projections 14 and 15 with the steps 27 and 28 when the scanner 9 is mounted on the opening 8.

A slide lever 29 is provided on a step 28 on the right side of the main body 10 of the scanner 9. The slide lever 29 is interlocked with the first slide switch 20, and has a first position where the tip protrudes from the surface of the step 28 (partially indicated by a solid line in FIG. 5C), and The other end is pivotally supported so as to be swingable between a second position (shown by a broken line in FIG. 5C) that does not protrude from the surface. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the slide lever 29 and the first slide switch 20 are connected via a rotation shaft 30 disposed in the scanner 9, and as a result, the first slide When the switch 20 is slid to the on position, the tip of the slide lever 29 is at the first position, while when the first slide switch 20 is slid to the off position, the tip of the slide lever 29 is at the second position. I do. When the scanner 9 is mounted in the opening 8 while the first slide switch 20 is slid to the ON position, the tip of the slide lever 29 is brought into contact with the guide projection 14 as shown in FIGS. Abut,
The scanner 9 is rotated from the first position to the second position by the insertion force into the opening 8 of the scanner 9, and this rotating power causes the first slide switch 20 to slide from the on position to the off position via the rotating shaft 30. . Therefore, even if the scanner 9 is mounted on the main body 5 while the first slide switch 20 of the scanner 9 is turned on, the switch 20 is automatically turned off.

Referring back to FIG. 3 and FIG.
Extends through the left side wall of the opening 8,
The tip is D-cut. This D cut tip 3
A second gear 34 meshes with the first gear 33, and a third gear 35 meshes with the second gear 34. The second gear 34 is rotatably supported at the back of the opening 8, and the third gear 35 is supported by a rotation shaft of a motor 36.

The first gear 32 has a center hole 37 fitted and mounted on the D-cut distal end portion 32 of the rotary shaft 31. The shape of the first gear 32 is similar to the distal end portion 32 as shown in FIG. No D-cut shape. Specifically, the tip 3
Reference numeral 2 denotes a shape obtained by cutting the cylindrical rotating shaft 31 in half on the center line thereof, and the center hole 37 has a shape in which a part of a concentric hole slightly larger than the rotating shaft 31 is linearly closed. are doing.

Therefore, as shown in FIG.
8B, between the state in which one end A1 of the second end abuts the one end B1 of the center hole 37 and the state in which one end A2 of the distal end portion 32 abuts one end B2 of the center hole 37 as shown in FIG. The rotating shaft 31 and the first gear 32 can freely rotate without transmitting rotational power to each other.

On the other hand, when the scanner 9 is mounted on the opening 8 of the main body 5 (FIG. 6B), the platen 13 and the reading window 1 are moved.
7, the motor 36 rotates the third gear 35 in a counterclockwise direction as indicated by an arrow in FIG. Let it. The rotational power of the gear 35 is transmitted to the first gear 3 via the second gear 34.
3 and the first gear 33 also rotates counterclockwise.

The counterclockwise rotating force of the first gear 33 is applied to the D-cut tip 3 of the rotary shaft 31 as shown in FIG.
The rotation is not transmitted to the rotating shaft 31 until the one end A1 of the second gear 2 and the one end B1 of the center hole 37 are in contact with each other. The shaft 31 also rotates counterclockwise, and conveys the document between the platen 13 and the reading window 17 in the sub-scanning direction.

Thereafter, after reading the original in a state where the scanner 9 is mounted on the opening 8 of the main body 5 (FIG. 6B), when the scanner 9 is to be removed from the opening 8 of the main body 5,
Since the reading window 17 of the scanner 9 and the platen 13 are in contact with each other, the force of the scanner 9 in the extracting direction acts as a rotating force of the platen 13 in the counterclockwise direction. However, immediately after the document is conveyed between the platen 13 and the reading window 17 in the sub-scanning direction, one end A1 of the D-cut distal end portion 32 of the rotary shaft 31 and the center hole 37 as shown in FIG. Is in contact with one end B1 of the
The turning force of the platen 13 in the counterclockwise direction, which is generated by the extraction of the first gear 33, is not transmitted to the first gear 33.

In order not to reliably transmit the rotating force of the platen 13 generated when the scanner 9 is removed to the first gear 33, a contact period between the platen 13 and the reading window 17 during the removal of the scanner 9 (abutment period). Distance) and FIG.
As shown in (a), one end A1 of the distal end portion 32 and the center hole 37 are formed.
The rotation shaft 31 and the first gear 32 come into contact with each other between a state in which the one end B1 of the first contact portion abuts and a state in which one end A2 of the distal end portion 32 and one end B2 of the center hole 37 abut as shown in FIG. After the scanner 9 is pulled out, one end A2 of the distal end portion 32 is removed as shown in FIG. 8B by making the distance (free rotation distance) that can freely rotate without transmitting rotational power to each other equal. And one end B2 of the center hole 37 is brought into contact.

On the other hand, conversely, the scanner 9 is connected to the opening 8 of the main body 5.
When the scanner 9 is mounted, the reading window 17 of the scanner 9 and the platen 13 are in contact with each other. The relationship between the D-cut distal end portion 32 of the rotating shaft 31 and the center hole 37 of the first gear 33 immediately before mounting the scanner 9 in the opening 8 of the main body 5 is the scanner 9 shown in FIG. The rotation of the platen 13 in the clockwise direction is not transmitted to the first gear 33 because it is the same as the state immediately after the extraction.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the scanner 9 is attached to and detached from the opening 8 of the main body 5, the first to third gears 33 to 3 are set.
Since the rotational power transmission path between the motor 36 and the platen 13 constituted by 5 is substantially cut off, the platen 13 can rotate without resistance in accordance with the attachment / detachment operation. Therefore, when the scanner 9 is attached and detached, the platen 13 and the reading window 17 rub against each other, causing wear,
Alternatively, damage can be avoided.

In the present embodiment, the contact distance is equal to the free rotation distance. However, from the viewpoint of avoiding the wear and damage, the free rotation distance may be larger than the contact distance.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a main circuit in this embodiment. A main control unit 50 composed of a microcomputer is provided in the main body 5, and the main control unit 50 controls the rotation of the motor 36. In particular,
When the scanner 9 is mounted on the main body 5 and functions as a reading unit for normal facsimile transmission, the main control unit 50 conveys the document held between the scanner 9 and the platen 13 in the sub-scanning direction. In order to achieve this, the platen 13 is
(A) The rotation of the motor 36 is controlled to rotate in the direction indicated by the middle arrow.

On the other hand, the main control unit 50 includes an I / O circuit 5
One terminal 1 is grounded via the connectors 16 and 19 and the resistor 52 in the scanner 9 when the scanner 9 is attached to the main body 5 and is open when the scanner 9 is removed from the main body 5. By detecting the state of the terminal, the attachment / detachment of the scanner 9 to / from the main body 5 can be detected.

When the main control unit 50 detects that the scanner 9 is mounted on the main body 5, the platen 13 rotates the scanner 9 in the mounting direction (clockwise in FIG. 8A) for a predetermined period. The rotation of the motor 36 is controlled so as to cause the rotation.

Thus, even when the user does not completely mount the scanner 9 on the main body 5, the rotating force in the mounting direction of the platen 13 acts as a force to draw the scanner 9 into the opening 8. Then, the scanner 9 is moved to a predetermined mounting position.

[0032]

According to the present invention, the reading window of the scanner can be prevented from rubbing against the platen when the scanner is attached or detached, so that the reading characteristics can be prevented from being deteriorated due to the dirt or scratches on the reading window. In addition, after the user mounts the scanner, the scanner is further pulled into the opening using the rotation of the platen, so that even if the user does not completely mount the scanner, the scanner is automatically positioned at the predetermined mounting position. Can be done.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an embodiment of a facsimile apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing one embodiment of a facsimile apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view showing a main part of the apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional top view showing a main part of the apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a top view (a), a front view (b), a bottom view (c), a left side view (d), and a right side view (e) for describing a scanner of the apparatus of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 shows a scanner 9 to an opening 8 in the apparatus of the present embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a main part for explaining attachment / detachment of the scanner and the configuration of the scanner 9.

FIG. 7 shows a scanner 9 to an opening 8 in the apparatus of the present embodiment
FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional top view of a main part for explaining attachment / detachment of the scanner and the configuration of the scanner 9.

FIG. 8 is a main part plan view for explaining a rotation mechanism of a platen 13 in the apparatus of the present embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a main circuit configuration in the device of the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 5 Body 8 Opening 9 Scanner 12 Energizing Means 13 Platen 16 First Connector 17 Reading Window 19 Second Connector 31 Rotating Axis 32 D-Cut Tip 33 First Gear 34 Second Gear 35 Third Gear 36 Motor 37 Center Hole 50 Main control unit 51 I / O circuit 52 Resistance

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Koichi Takada 3-201 Minamiyoshikata, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture Tottori Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tatsuharu Kishida 3-201 Minamiyoshikata, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture Tottori Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Atsumi Kakimoto 3-201 Minamiyoshikata, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture Tottori Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Otagaki 3-201 Minamiyoshikata, Tottori City, Tottori Sanyo Electric Tottori (56) References JP-A-9-65073 (JP, A) JP-A-7-322003 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04N 1/00 H04N 1/04

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A scanner having a reading window, a main body having an opening through which the scanner is attached and detached, and a rotating force applied thereto.
Means , disposed in the opening, to the body of the scanner
When the is mounted, it comes into contact with the reading window and applies the rotation power.
The rotating force of the means is transmitted, and when the scanner is attached to or detached from the opening, the platen is freely rotatable in the attaching / detaching direction of the scanner by a contact force with the reading window, and is disposed in the opening. a first connector, arranged in the scanner, means for detecting a second connector to be connected to the connecting state of the first connector to the body of the scanner, the first, the binding of the second connector, the A facsimile apparatus comprising: control means for controlling the turning power applying means when the connection is detected by the detection means, and rotating the platen in a direction in which the scanner is mounted on the main body of the scanner. 2. A scanner having a reading window, a main body having an opening through which the scanner is attached and detached, and a platen disposed in the opening and abutting on the reading window when the scanner is attached to and detached from the main body. A motor, a transmitting means for transmitting the rotating power of the motor to the platen and, when the scanner is attached to and detached from the opening, a transmission path for transmitting the rotating power to the platen, and a main body of the scanner. Means for detecting the mounting of the scanner, and, when the mounting is detected by the detecting means, supplies the rotating force for controlling the motor and rotating the platen in the mounting direction of the scanner to the main body via the transmitting means. Means for controlling the facsimile operation. 3. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
The tip of the rotation axis of the platen is cut in half on its center line.
The transmission means is separated from the rotating shaft by
A part of a large concentric hole is closed linearly
It has a shape that is not similar to the shape of the rotation axis of the platen.
Gear means having a core hole fitted and mounted on the tip of the rotating shaft
A facsimile apparatus comprising: means for applying the rotational power of the motor to the gear means . 4. A scanner having a reading window, a main body having an opening through which the scanner is attached and detached, and a rotating force is provided.
Means , disposed in the opening, to the body of the scanner
When the is mounted, it comes into contact with the reading window and applies the rotation power.
It is transmitted means turning force, and, when detached to the opening of the scanner, and those of the contact force can be freely rotated in the detachment direction of the scanner platen between the reading window, to the body of the scanner Means for detecting mounting, and means for controlling the motor to rotate the platen in the mounting direction of the scanner to the main body when the mounting is detected by the detecting means. Facsimile machine characterized.